The Dead Man

Thinker, Traitor, Poet, Spy

There are few figures in history as beguiling as Christopher Marlowe. Heralded as a genius, Marlowe was the most famous playwright in England when he met his untimely demise. An inflammatory figure, his writing shocked crowds while attracting the ire of the government - the same government he served as a spy in his youth. An irreplaceable figure, his death is considered the single greatest loss in the history of English literature.

Why did such a great thinker suffer such an undignified death? Was it murder? Was it business? Was it a professional rivalry? Or perhaps his own writing finally caught up to him?

we will never know the truth of who killed Christopher Marlowe and why, but one thing is for sure: his mysterious death made the dramatic rise of William Shakespeare possible.

"Matters"

During Marlowe's graduate studies, he mysteriously disappeared from his school. Months later, he returned with money to spend and a letter explaining his ABSENCE. According to the Privy Council, Marlowe had been involved "in matters touching the benefit of his country."

Undoubtedly, Marlowe had been working for the English government as a spy during the war against Spain and remained in close contact with key players in the English intelligence network to the day he died - under their custody.

The Bard Identity

Marlowe is one of the most popular figures offered by proponents of the Shakespeare authorship question. Scholarly research, however, paints a far different picture. Not only did Shakespeare and Marlowe likely work together on the bard's earliest plays, but there is ample evidence to suggest that Shakespeare lifted several lines from Marlowe's plays shortly after his death.